St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-07-14
pICKErT.s MEN CHARGE AGAIN.
Impressive scenes at Gettysburg.

Impressive Scenes at Gettysburg.
Not the least impressive of the cele-
brations Monday, July A, at the Get
tysburg reunion was that on the bat
tle-field of Gettysburg. The veterans
of the Philadelphia brigade and Pick
ett's division, accompanied by Mrs.
Pickett, drove to Culp's hill in the
forenoon and then took the Emmetts-
burg road to point opposite Span
gler's woods, where "a years ago Sun
day, Pickett's division had formed for
the last desperate charge upon the
Union position. Here the most touch
ing ceremony of the reunion was per-
formed. All the men present, both OF
the Philadelphia brigade and Pickett's
division, formed in line and filed past
Mrs. Pickett, to whom they were each
introduced by name. The names were
all recorded aud the list will be pre-
served by the confederate generals
widow. She grasped each mans hand
cordially, but before the ceremony was
half over the tears were cOursing down
her cheeks at the same time she was
smiling. Especially was Mrs. Pickett
affected when she grasped the hands
of the men of her dead husbands COM
them their little daughters and she
Then in broken tones Mrs. Pickett
thanked the Philadelphia brigade for
their cOu rtesy to her and their hOspi-
tally to their former enemies.
This scene over, the Philadelphians
withdrew to their own side, while the
Virginians once more arranged them
selves as for another charge. First
they sought and found a ledge of rock
back in the woods where several OF
their regiments had left their KNAPP
sacks before starting on their errand
of death. There the line was formed
again. Twenty four years ago there
were three brigades, Kemper's on the
right, Garnett's on the left, and Armi-
stead's forming a second line of sup
port. In each brigade there were five
regiments, and it has never been &C
curately known before how the regi-
ments were placed. There were 200
of Pickett's men there Monday, and
every regiment in the division was
represented. The men arranged them
selves as nearly as possible in the pO-
sitiOn they remembered occupying be-
fore. Of course the representatives OF
these regiments thus arrayed present
ed very thin and scattered line.
Some regiments were represented by a
score of men, others by only two OIL
three. With the original formation,
though with wide gaps between the
represented commands, the old divi-
sion advanced, as it had done so long
ago out of the woods and into the open
clover field toward the distant Union
position. No shot and shell rained
upon them now. Round Top was 81
lent no smoke rolled about Cemetery
hill and the flash of Cushing's guns did
not meet their eyes. Only vista of
green and golden fields gently rising
to the old Union line, marked by the
dark line of the old stone wall behind
which the Philadelphia brigade had
awaited their approach, smiled upon
them while their old antagonists stood
grouped near Mrs. Pickett, who her.
self might have stood upon the same
turf her husbands charger had trOd.
Steadily this attenuated array of the
once mighty division advanced out in
to the field. AS they marched the men
talked exctedly. "See," cried one,
''here's where that shell from Gene
JOIy Hill CuG uOW ScNOu ICo,
another called back, "and over there
by the ditch is where solid shot from
Round Top killed r." As they adj
vanced they showed the Union specta-
tors just how their line of march had
DETECTED to their left under the com
bined influences of the nature of the
ground and the fire from Round Top
so that their attack, which should have
overlapped the position of the Phila-
delphia regiments by brigade, struck
it squarely. The advance was not
pushed further than the Emmettsburg
pike, but it went far enough to bring
out clearly the stupendous daring of
such charge across such an open
space.